Iochroma, Tubeflower, Violet Churur 'Plum Beauty'

I grew this plant last year in a container as a 'summer annual' on the patio. The plant grew quite well and bloomed a lot. The blooms w...Read Moreere quite pretty however they appear beneath the leaves. That would be fine, I suppose, if I had a very tall plant and could view the flowers from below, but the plant itself isn't really that pretty to look at.

While I found the plant beautiful, it did not survive a cold winter in my Zone 9b garden in Bellaire, Texas. Last year I covered it and ...Read Moreit lived to grow even larger. This year, it was large enough and woody enough, I thought it would return from its roots if damaged (it was really too large to cover successfully). But, it didn't.

I really like this plant. I find it does best in full sun. Have not seen any of the numerous hummingbirds in my area show an interest i...Read Moren the iochroma, which surprised me as I had read somewhere that they would be interested. This plant is really a tall, lanky shrub that needs some support to look nice. I have not attempted to prune it small to see if it would get bushy because I did not want to lose blooms. It freezes back every winter and sprouts from the roots in the Spring. I have grown these in pots and had poor success. They thrive in ground and do not bloom in partial shade for me. I think the reason they don't like to be in pots is because they develop a huge root system that fills the pot quickly and then needs constant water to sustain it. In the ground, the normal sprinkler waterings are enough. I have had a problem with aphid, scale & mealy bugs, basically, if the pests like my Brugmansia plants, they like these. Has responded well to systemic fertilizer that I use for roses, and also has no problems with soapy water or rubbing alcohol that I use for spraying pests.

Iochroma 'Plum Beauty' is growing in a container that is in full sun. I've had this particular plant since February 2005 and it has not s...Read Moretopped blooming. I love it. I've tried to research the iochroma's but haven't found much information as far as propagation is concerned. However, I have successfully propagated several semi-hardwood cuttings. I haven't seen any seed pods or heads as of yet. It's a very beautiful plant.